Happiness on Sunday night: French voters had managed to keep the far right out of power once more. Monday morning, uncertainty – Uncertain alliances, a hung parliament, and the possibility of unrest in the coming years.
Snap legislative elections in France were announced by President Emmanuel Macron in an effort to “clarify” the political landscape. However, with the shocking results of the second round, things are murkier than they have been in decades.
Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) party was thwarted by a rise in support for the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance. Yet, the outcome of the referendum has left French politics even more disorganized.
What then did we discover last night? Who may succeed Macron as prime minister of France, and has Macron’s risk “paid off”?
A surprising win, but not a clear-cut one
Following their victory in the first round of voting on Sunday, the RN found itself in a position to gain more clout and maybe become the first far-right administration in France since the collaborationist Vichy dictatorship of World War II.
However, following a week of intense political wrangling during which over 200 centrist and left-wing candidates pulled out of the second round to prevent a split of the vote, the NFP—a conglomeration of many parties ranging from the extreme left to the more moderate—came out on top with the most seats in the pivotal second round.
With 182 seats gained in the National Assembly, the NFP now holds the most members in the 577-seat parliament. After finishing well behind in the first round, Macron’s centrist Ensemble coalition made a tremendous comeback to capture 163 seats. And despite winning the first round, the RN and its allies secured 143 seats.
This implies that the NFP “won” the election, right? Not exactly. Despite holding the majority of seats, the coalition was unable to secure the 289 MPs necessary for an absolute majority, resulting in a hung parliament in France. If there was one thing that this win represented, it was the “cordon sanitaire,” or the idea that moderate parties had to band together to keep the far right out of power.
The far-right in the France elections 2024 was defeated by a coalition of leftists.
Although it has the most MPs, the New Popular Front is far from having an outright majority with 289 seats. The far-right National Rally party and its supporters under by Marine Le Pen finished ahead of President Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance.
See the Number of seats won in the 2024 parliamentary elections and more on the france elections 2024 results here!
